Container



Aug. 25, 1959 B. J. TAMARIN 2,901,097

CONTAINER Filed June 19, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet i INVENTOR. ELM/A R0 J.TAMA/PW BYMMM 4 T ram/E 7 Aug. 25, 1959 Y B. J. TAMARIN 2,901,097

CONTAINER Filed June 19, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. 615M641?! JTAM/M7 A Tram 5X B. J. TAMARIN Aug. 25, 1959 CONTAINER Filed June 19, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 10,6 INVENTOR. BflA/AAD J. MMA/P/A/ BY ATTO/PA/EXAug. 25, 1959 B. J. TAMARIN 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. BAT 144,90 J.TAMAAl/V Aug. 25, 1959 B. J. TAMARIN 2,901,097

I CONTAINER Filed June. 19, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 BY jb fl MW Ar a/varUnited States Patent C) CONTAINER Bernard J. Tamarin, Whitemarsh, Pa.

Application June 19, 1958, Serial No. 743,127

8 Claims. (Cl. 20641.2)

This invention relates to packaging of small articles (as, for example,cigarettes), concerning especially provision of improved closurefeatures in a portable container therefor derived from a unitary blankfoldable into container form.

A well-known kind of package for cigarettes or the like is composed ofrelatively flexible sheet materials, such as cellophane, metal foil, andpaper; this soft type of container presents a considerable likelihood ofdamage to the contents by crushing, especially when partly empty. On theother hand, existing containers made of paper or cardboard stiff enoughto be considered moderately crush proof or hard are difficult to openand close and are unduly expensive to manufacture, ship, and store.

A primary object of the present invention is provision of asubstantially rigid case or container of customary pocket size, formedfrom a component one-piece blank of uniform thickness, with improvedclosure means. An object is improved construction and operation of asliding end closure of a portable container. A particular object isconstruction of a simple cnlshproof package adapted to be formed andpacked by conventional cigarette-packag ing machinery. Other objects ofthis invention, together with means and methods for attaining thevarious objects, will be apparent from the following description and theaccompanying diagrams.

Fig. l is a plan of a foldable blank of this invention in sheet formbefore conversion into container or package form, and Fig. 2 is aperspective view of the upper part of th blank of Fig. l at a stage inenfolding about an inner wrapper in package form.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the top end portion of the formingcontainer of Fig. 2 at the beginning of folding to form the top closure;Fig. 4 is a similar view -of the same portion of the container at anintermediate :stage in the formation of the top closure; Fig. 5 is aper- :spective of the closed top end of the container of the precedingviews; Fig. 6 is a similar view of the top of .the container opened toreveal part of the contents; and Fig. 7 is a perspective of the samecontainer with the closure slide in an intermediate or partly opened (orpartly closed) position.

Fig. 8 is a plan of the upper part of a foldable blank of this inventionmodified somewhat from that of Fig. 1; Fig. 9 is a perspective of thetop portion of a container being formed from the blank of Fig. 8; Fig.10a is a plan of the top of a container formed from the foldabl blank ofFig. 8 and shown with the closure slide in the fully open position; andFig. 10b is a rear elevation of the top portion of the fully opencontainer of Fig. 100:.

Fig. 11 is a plan of another modification of packaging blank accordingto this invention; Fig. 12 is a perspective of the blank of Fig. 11being folded into container form; Fig. 13 is a perspective of the topportion of the forming container before formation of the top closurethereof; Fig. 14 is a plan of the forming container at aninter-mediatestage in formation of the top closure; Fig. 15 is a perspective of thetop portion of the completed container shown fully open; and Fig 16 is aside elevation, partly cut away, of the fully open top portion of thecontainer of the immediately preceding View.

In general, the objects of the present invention are accomplished byproviding a packaging blank having a generally rectangular body portionfoldable into a container having two pairs of wall panels and having adispensing opening in one end and a captive closure slide for thedispensing opening, with the slide being attached to a hinged portion ofone of the wall panels adapted to swing outward from the body of thecontainer upon movement of the closure slide to uncover the dispensingopening. This invention contemplates that either or both the closureslide and the hinged wall portion preferably will have attached theretoa plane member or strip adapted to underlie an adjacent wall panel whenthe dispensing opening is covered by the closure slide and adapted tomove out from under such adjacent Wall panel to maintain surfacecontinuity between the edge thereof and the hinged wall portion when thedispensing opening is uncovered by the closure slide. In particular,this invention contemplates providing, for an end closure of rectangularplan in a cigarette package having a substantially crushproof outershell, a captive closure slide extending substantially the width of theend and adapted to move lengthwise thereof to uncover a portion of theend, the slide being composed of two strips lapping and adhering to oneanother at one end of each, at least one of the strips being secured toa portion of the shell while remaining free to slide in the lengthwisedirection, and at least one of the strips optionally having at least oneportion thereof adapted to cooperate with a portion of the shell wall tolimit the lengthwise travel of the slide.

Fig. 1 shows packaging blank 1 viewed in plan from the surface that isfolded toward the inside in subsequent views. The generally rectangularbody of the blank has wall panels 2 to 6, inclusive, defined by parallelfold lines 7 to 10, inclusive, extending transversely (vertically inthis View) from one longitudinal edge of the blank toward the other oncorresponding welts (indicated by double lines) produced by scoring ofthe opposite side of the blank to facilitate folding. Wide panels 2 and4 are equal to one another in width, as are narrow panels 3 and 5; lappanel 6 is narrower than the other narrow panels.

At the bottom edge of the blank, panel 2 has irregularly shaped(generally rectangular) flap 12 extending from it over essentially theentire width of the panel, with scored fold line 16 separating flap andpanel; the free long edge of the flap has generally rectangularindentation 5'0 in it. Panel 4 has somewhat larger rectangular flap 14extending from it over the entire width of the panel, with scored foldline 18 intervening; the short dimension of flap l4 closely approximatesthe width of one of the narrow panels in the pair. Panels 3 and 5 haveat the bottom substantially trapezoidal tabs 13 and 15, respectively,joined to the body of the blank at their bases along aligned respectivescored fold lines 17 and 19 (slightly offset from scored fold lines 16and 18 for the flaps and from one another to compensate for thethickness of the blank when folded).

At the top edge of the blank, panels 3 and 5 have a substantiallyidentical pair of tabs (one each) rectangular in outline and extendingtherefrom over substantially the panel width. Junction 29 of tab 25 withthe top edge of portion 5 of panel 5 is defined by a scored fold line orwelt, while the corners of tab 23 near the ends of welts 7 and .8 roundsmoothly into perforated junction 27 of that tab with the top edge ofintervening panel 3. The

Patented Aug. 25, 1959 smooth surface of fixedly attached tab 25 isinterrupted by several welts 3-1 extending transversely thereof near andparallel to its junction with the supporting panel. Minor outer portion23 of detachable tab 23 is coated with adhesive (indicated bystippling), between top 37 and side edges 41, 45.

Supporting panel portion for tab 25 is joined to major portion 5 of thatnarrow wall panel by scored fold line or welt 38, which extends thewidth of the panel parallel to junction 22. Adjacent wide panel 4 isseparated from minor portion 5 of the narrow panel by intervening slit39, which is aligned with welt 9. Slit 4t) crosses the adjacent narrowlap panel obliquely and paralleling mitered top edge 32 of minor topportion 6', which is separated thereby from the rest of lap panel'6, andterminates at the end of welt 38.

Generally rectangular flap 24 joined to the top of wide panel 4 extendsfrom free edge portion 44 of the panel to the edge of tab 25, a distanceapproximating two-thirds the width of the wide panel, along junctionwelt 28. The width (vertical dimension) of the flap corresponds closelyto the width (horizontal dimension) of each of narrow panels 3 and 5.Triangular notch 47 is centered in the edge of the flap adjacent tab 25.

Flap 22, whose width over most of its length closely approximates thatof the other flap (and the narrow panels) extends from free top edge 42of supporting wide panel 2 for approximately two-thirds of the widepanel width along junction welt 26 at the top of that wide panel. Theflap narrows at its outermost edge, as a result of a sloping of the edgeclosest to tab .23, and indentation 43 of the opposite edge.

Fig. 2 shows in perspective a closed end portion of inner wrapper 2'1juxtaposed to blank 1 and partly enfolded by it. Side walls of thewrapper are coincident with narrow wall panel 5 (with portion 5) and(not visible) narrow wall panel 3 and wide wall panel 4 of the foldedouter blank. The lap panel (with minor end'portion 6) of the blank isfolded toward the inner wrapper. Wide panel 2 is partly folded towardthe wrapper, and adhesively coated portion 2 (visible in Fig. 1) thereofis about to overlie major portion 6 of the lap panel. The tabs and flapsremain aligned with their respective supporting wall panels in thisview. Visible at one end of the inner wrapper is removableend portion 30thereof, defined by broken lines (indicating a perforated or crush-cutboundary line) and including a triangular flap portion of the wrapper.

While in Fig. 2 the forming package appears lying on its side, in thesucceeding sequential views of Figs. 3 to 7 it is shown upright. LikeFig. 2, Figs. 3 to 7, inclusive, omit in the interest of clarity allshowing of the bottom of the container being formed.

Fig. 3 shows in perspective the forming package of Fig. 2 with the sidesof the inner wrapper completely cnfolded and the top tabs of the outershell folded part of the way over the end. Tab 23 partly overlaps tab 25at the free extremities of the two tabs. The upstanding flaps are shownspread slightly apart at the top to facilitate entrance of the tabsbetween them. Fig. 4 shows both tabs folded down against thetop of theinner wrapper with the detachable tab partly overlying the other tab andwith the flaps partly folded down over them. The upper surface of flap22, which is folded down further, is in position to be contacted byadhesive lower surface 24' of triangularly notched flap 24.

Fig. 5 shows the top completely closed, with flap 24 folded down againstthe underlying flap (and adherent thereto). The flaps .overlie thelapped .end portions (not visible) of the tabs, whilethe opposite endsof both tabs are still attached to the supporting wall panels. Theperforated junction of the detachable tab must be broken before theclosure member formed by the tabs can slide to uncover-the dispensingopening. This essential stepcan be performed mechanically at arelatively late stage in the .4 enfolding of the container itself--whichcustomarily is accomplished by machine, rather than by handor it may bedone manually.

Fig. 6 shows the slide formed by the tabs detached at the near edge ofthe top and slid back to uncover the dispensing opening in that end ofthe container. Pressure of the forefinger in non-slipping contact withthe portion of the slide crossed by parallel score lines 31(corresponding to the welts visible near the base of tab 25 in Fig. 1)permits the slide to be withdrawn readily enough. Withdrawal of theslide swings the hinged top portion of the attached narrow wall panel(not visible in this View) outward, revealing attached top portion 6 ofthe adjacent narrow lap panel, and brings the detached tab whollyunderneath the overlying fiaps to reveal the dispensing opening, whichis bounded by the top edge of narrow wall panel 3 and free edge portions42 and 44 of wall panels 2 and 4 plus the near edge of the flaps.

The top of the inner wrapper is shown being opened in this view byremoval of end portion 30 thereof, as may be accomplished most simply byplacing thumb and forefinger of the other hand on opposite sides of thepreviously mentioned flap portion, grasping it lightly but firmly, andpulling it off to reveal part of the contents (here, cigarettes 20). Inthe fully open container, after removal of the detachable part of theinner wrapper, the top ends of five cigarettes are fully exposed, thefixed top closure portion formed by the overlapping flaps just clearingthe second one in each outer row of the conventional 767 arrangement.One or more of the cigarettes may be ejected readily by tapping the topof the package.

After manual removal of the desired cigarettes (or other contents)through the dispensing opening provided by withdrawal of the closureslide, the slide may be returned to its original position to close theend of the package. The package can be held, and the slide manipulated,by one hand, if desired, as suggested in Figs. 6 and 7. When the slideis in the fully closed position, hinged portion 5 of the narrow wallpanel (visible in Fig. 7) returns to its original position of alignmentwith the rest of that wall panel. Complete closure is positive andsecure, preventing accidental opening under ordinary conditions,especially until all the cigarettes are removed. Emptying of thepackage, which usually occurs after from about ten to twenty openingsand closings when used for cigarettes, leaves it in good condition forsubsequent use as a container for buttons, tacks, screws, or similarhousehold articles.

Fig. 7 shows the slide in an intermediate position, between the fullyopen and fully closed positions. Such an intermediate position may beemployed to hold one or more cigarettes partly ejected, as is convenientwhen offering them to someone else from a partly empty package. It isapparent that withdrawal of the closure slide to the fully or partlyopen position provides a protruding partial enclosure (open to the farside of the container). This enclosure is bounded by hinged portion 5 ofthe visible narrow wall panel, the visible part of minor portion 6 ofthe lap panel, and the adjacent portion of tab 25, along with the narrowside wall of the inner wrapper (not visible here). If desired, a usedcigarette may be snuffed out by inserting the burning end momentarily inthis enclosure. Thus, this first illustrated embodiment of the inventionalso provides a ready means for eliminating the fire hazard attendantupon disposal of lighted cigarettes. The intermediate or partly closedposition is most effective in excluding air from the burning end of thecigarette to extinguish it in this fashion.

The component materials of this package are readily available, and theinvention permits reduction in the amounts required, reducing the costaccordingly. The blank used for the shell itself (Fig. 1) may be mademost conveniently from relatively stilf paper, such as that used fortags or playing cards. A high quality of paper stock can be usedadvantageously because of the economy afforded by adequacy of a singlethickness (without added rigid paper backing or interliner) in thepresent construction and by the minimum of waste (at most severalpercent) in the die-cutting of the blank. The suggested inner wrappermay be composed of thin paper, metal foil, or a combination of the two,as is customary. If desired, either or both inner wrapper and outershell may be made from plastic sheet material-relatively thin andflexible for the former and relatively rigid but foldable for thelatter. The entire container may be covered in conventional manner bytransparent plastic, such as cellophane, for example. Unlike the hardshell of certain existing cigarette containers, the present one is free(in the closed position) from protrusions designed to aid manipulationof the closure slide; consequently, it is not subject to distortion, asare those others, by reason of the tight fit assumed by an outer coverof cellophane or the like.

Scoring and slitting of the blank to facilitate subsequent folding canbe accomplished readily during (or after) a die'cutting of the blankoutline, as can perforation of the junction of the detachable tab to therest of the blank. Although for simplicity of the showing only singlescoring of the fold lines has been indicated, double or multiple scoringis useful in producing more rounded folds, sharp edges being generallyundesirable in a rigid package.

Cigarette manufacturers, who package their own product and have atremendous investment in existing machinery, can produce the abovedescribed hard-shell container conveniently on existing soft-packagemachinery (notably the AMP 3-79 model made by American Machine andFoundry Company) with only very slight modification. The sequentialviews of the folding of the scored outer blank will suggest to anyonefamiliar with the industry the ready adaptation of the standardpackaging machinery to it; the formation of the outer shell partakes ofthe sequence of steps normally employed in surrounding the usual foilwrapper with a soft paper label, as well as those involved in shapingand closing the inner wrapper itself.

The blank and the container made from it may be modified somewhatwithout departing from the present inventive concept. Among thepermissible design variations are those illustrated in Figs. 8 to b,inclusive. Fig. 8 shows in plan the upper part of blank 61, includingtop tabs and flaps. Other unchanged (from Fig. 1) portions of the blankare omitted from this view in the interest of simplicity. Referencenumerals remain the same except where they designate a modified featureof the blank.

Flaps 72 and 74 are unchanged from previous flaps 22 and 24 except atthe indentations in their edges. The left edge of flap 72, whose loweredge adjoins wall panel 2 along fold line 26, has triangular indentation83 in it. Somewhat similarly, the right edge of flap 74, whose loweredge adjoins wall panel 4 along fold line 28, has in it a triangularindentation defined by oblique edge portions 84 and 85. In each instancethe indentation extends substantially from corner to corner in theindented edge of the flap.

Tab 73 of blank 61 is similar to tab 23 of the previous blank, beingdetachable along perforated junction 27; however, the rectangularoutline of this tab is interrupted by indentation 67 in outer edge 77.Tab 75 is fixedly attached along scored fold line or welt 29 to topnarrow panel portion 55, which is appreciably smaller in vertical extentthan was portion 5' of Fig. 1, corresponding to the length of edgeportion 85 of the nearby flap indentation. Attached to the left edge ofotherwise rectangular tab 75, along junction welt. 89, is triangularportion 90,

which fits into the triangular indentation of adjacent flap 74, beingseparated by slits from edge portions 84 and S5 of the flap.

Top minor portion 66 of the lap panel, which is hinged to the majorportion of the panel along scored fold line or welt 38 and separatedfrom the adjacent narrow wallpauel by slit 39 (as was somewhat largerportion 6' in the previous blank) is provided with ear 60 extending fromthe top edge alongside that slit.

Fig. 9 shows in perspective the top of a cigarette container beingformed from the blank of Fig. 8, already folded to form the sides of thecontainer. The flaps are slightly spread apart from one another, and thetabs are shown folded down between the flaps, detachable tab 73 partlyoverlapping fixedly attached tab 75. In this view, the triangularportion of the fixedly attached tab is out of sight, having been foldeddown to a position along the inside face of wide side wall 4 (notvisible in this View). Completion of the top closure by a folding downof flap 72 and then flap 74 (plus adherence of strippled portion 74 onthe under surface of the latter to the outer surface of the former) willbe readily apparent by analogy with the corresponding procedure for theprevious blank.

After completion of the container formation, tab 73 may be detachedalong its perforated junction line. Upon detachment of this tab theclosure slide can be withdrawn to uncover the dispensing opening. As theslide is withdrawn, attached movable portion 66 of the lap panel slidesout from behind wide wall panel 2, thereby maintaining surfacecontinuity between the edge of that wide wall panel and the hinged wallportion. The fully open position is shown in plan in Fig. 10a and inrear elevation (top portion only) in Fig. 10b.

It is apparent from Fig. 10b that movement of the slide to the fullyopen position rotates hinged top wall portion 55, along with theimmediately adjacent portions of elements attached to (or part of) it,through nearly ninety degrees of are (about junction line 38, shownpreviously). It is obvious from related views (e.g., Figs. 6 and 7) ofthe previous embodiment that the attached top portion of the lap panelrotates accordingly upon withdrawal of the slide. In this modifiedembodiment the originally vertical side edge of portion 66 (not visiblein this view) becomes substantially horizontal, as the slide reaches thefully open position, and abuts the under side of inner flap 24 (also notvisible) to act as a stop, preventing further withdrawal or overshootingof the slide.

In the fully open position, protruding car 60 on the movable portion ofthe lap panel becomes exposed at the top right corner of the front wall.Pressure of the ear against the edge of the overlying flaps tends tomaintain the open position of the slide, preventing it from creeping orspringing partly closed as it may tend to do (because of the elasticityof the material from which the outer shell is made) but readilypermitting the slide to be closed by intentional manipulation. At theopposite limit of travel of the slide, i.e., in the fully closedposition, the top edge of narrow wall panel 3 is contacted by thepreviously attached edge of tab 73.

Also exposed in Fig. 10b is most of triangular portion 90 of the fixedlyattached tab. Like top panel portion 66 at the front, this triangulartab portion lies against the inside of one of the wide wall panels,providing additional friction to maintain the desired position of theslide, especially in the closed and partly open positions. Thus, in thismodification, the protruding portion of the container in the fully openposition of the slide is completely enclosed on all four exterior planes(top, side, front, and rear). This not only presents a neater, morefinished appearance but also further improves the rigidity of the slide.Incidentally, the necessity (present in the previous embodiment) ofremoving or stripping out the mentioned triangular portion when it issevered from the rest of the blank is eliminated.

It will be apparent that each of the principal added features of themodification illustrated in Figs. 8 to 10b i. may be used separatelyfrom the other. Also, they may be incorporated not only in theembodiment first illustrated and described above but also in thefollowing.

Fig. 11 and the succeeding views illustrate another modification ofpackaging blank similarly useful according to this invention. This blankdiffers from those previously shown in that it is designed to fold endover end, i.e., about an axis oriented perpendicular to the verticalfolding axis previously employed. One consequence of this variation isdistribution of the tabs and flaps for the top closure along oppositeedges of the blank. For simplicity of the showing, no adhesively coatedareas are denoted in the views of this additional embodiment of thisinvention; appropriate provision for adhesive or other sealing meanswill be apparent to one skilled in the art, especially in the light ofthe above teaching.

Blank 101, shown in plan in Fig. 11, has wide wall panels 102 and 104adjoining opposite edges of intervening bottom panel 114 along junctionsdenoted by scored fold lines or welts 116 and 118, respectively. Eachwide wall panel is flanked by a pair of narrow wall panels extending forthe full length of the wide wall panel. Thus, wide wall panel 102 hasnarrow wall panels 103a and 105a adjoining it along respective scoredfold lines or welts 107 and 110, while wide wall panel 104 has similarnarrow wall panels adjoining it along similar lines 108 and 109,respectively. Bottom panel 114 is flanked by bottom tabs 113 and 115separated from it by respective slits 145 and 146.

Narrow wall panel 103a is a simple rectangle bounded by short edge 131,slit 132 opposite the short edge, and long edge 137, in addition tojunction line 107 opposite the long edge. Narrow wall panel 10312 haslong edge 138 opposite junction line 108 but is bounded at its top edgeby perforated junction line 127, which separates it from detachablerectangular tab 123; bottom tab 113 adjoins this narrow wall panel alongscored fold line or welt 117. Narrow wall panel 105k has long edge 139opposite junction line 109 and is bounded at the top by edge 133, whichprotrudes upward slightly in the center, and at the bottom by bottom tab115, which adjoins the panel along scored fold line 119. Narrow Wallpanel 105a is bounded in part by slit 134, which separates it from thelast mentioned bottom tab, and by long edge 130, which extends oppositejunction line 110. Hinged portion 150 completes this narrow wall panel,being joined to the rest of the panel along scored fold line or welt148, which crosses from long edge 130 to the connection of fold line 110with slit 149 aligned with that fold line. Joined to the hinged portionalong scored fold line 129 is fixedly attached rectangular tab 125.

Free edge 14-4 of wide wall panel 104 extends from fold line 108, at theleft edge, for nearly one-third the Width of the panel to scored foldline or welt 128 marking the junction of the wall panel with flap 122,which continues along the panel to fold line 109 at the opposite sideedge thereof. Flap 122 is generally rectangular but has triangular notch147 centered in its right edge. Wide wall panel 102 has free edge 142extending for about one-third its width from fold line 107 at the leftedge, to score-cl fold line or welt 126 marking the junction of fiap124, which continues to fold line 110 at the opposite side edge of thepanel. Flap 124, whose outer edge is parallel to junction line 126, hasan oblique edge at the left and indentation 143 in the opposite edge,further narrowing the parallel outer edge.

Fig. 12 shows the blank of Fig. 11 in perspective at an early stage ofbeing folded into container form. Narrow wall panels 103!) and 10522 arefolded inwardly (i.e., toward the viewer) along their respectivejunctions with supporting wide wall panel 104 so as to face one anotherperpendicular to that wide wall panel. Bottom tabs 113 and 115 arefolded toward one another along their junctions with the respectivesupporting narrow wall panels at right angles to both of those narrowwall panels and the intervening wide wall panel Bottom panel 114, widewall panel 102, and narrow wall panels 103a and a also are swunginwardly in a common plane perpendicular to wide wall panel 104, withthe bottom panel in contact with the undersides of the bottom tabs.

Fig. 13 shows a subsequent stage in the formation of this container, inwhich wide wall panel 102 has been swung up into parallelism with theother wide wall panel, and narrow Wall panels 103a and 105a have beenfolded back against the outer surface of narrow wall panels 103b and105b, respectively. This places long free edges 138 and 139 (visible inprevious views) of the respective narrow wall panels of the inner pairat the inside of the front vertically extending edge formed by thefolding of the outer pair along lines 107 and 110, respectively. Freelong edges 137 and of the outer pair of narrow wall panels lie exposedat the rear vertically extending edge formed by the folding of the innerpair along lines 108 and 109. The resulting open-ended pouchconfiguration can be closed, as shown in the subsequent views, byfolding down the top tabs and flaps, which in this view are stillaligned with their respective supporting wall panels.

Fig. 14 shows in plan the appearance of the top of the container withthe tabs folded down to close it. Detachable tab 123 is partlyoverlapped by the free end portion of fixedly attached tab 125, whichadheres to the overlapped portion. Flaps 122 and 124 are shown foldedback (apart) slightly to facilitate entrance of the tabs between them.Immediately after the stage represented in this view, flaps 124 and 122are folded down in that order to adhere to one another and therebycomplete the top closure, as may be visualized from the previous accountand illustration of the form first shown.

Upon detachment of detachable tab 123 from narrow wall panel 103b, theslide composed of tabs 123 and 125 may be withdrawn from the closedposition in like manner to withdrawal of the slide of the embodimentfirst disclosed above. Withdraw-a1 of the slide permits extraction ofthe contents (here, cigarettes 20) through the dispensing openingpreviously covered by the portion of originally attached tab 123 notcovered by the flaps when attached or in the closed position.

Fig. 15 shows the resulting open top of the container in perspective,and Fig. 16 is a corresponding view of the top portion of the whollyopen container in side elevation. Part of the near wide wall panel iscut away in Fig. 16 to show the relative positions of interior elementsof the container when the slide is withdrawn to open the dispensingopening completely. In this position, overlapped leading edge of thedetachable tab (itself detached at its opposite end from, the side wallbut now adherent to fixedly attached tab 125) abuts the side of top edge133 of narrow wall panel 105b, the eoaction of these elements providinga stop to inhibit overshooting of the slide in the opening direction. Itis clear that the slide may he slid back to close the container, and thereclosed position is not illustrated.

As with the embodiments previously disclosed, the blank and containerlast described may be modified some what in design and constructionwithout involving a departure from the present inventive concept. Thelocation and shape of the tabs and flaps may be varied while maintainingthe essential features of the characteristic closure arrangement. Whilemachinery for forming this last blank into such a container necessarilywill vary from that suitable for folding the blanks previously shown anddescribed, suitable steps are apparent from the above teaching, andappropriate design of equipment to accomplish the desired result willcome readily to the mind of one skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. In a container formed from a unitary packaging blank and having apair of wide wall panels spaced oppo- 9' site and parallelto oneanother, a pair of narrow wall panels spaced opposite and parallel toone another and perpendicular to and joining the wide wall panels, witha dispensing opening in one end and a captive closure slide for thedispensing opening, the improvement comprising a hinged portion of oneof the wall panels attached to the closure slide and adapted to swingoutward from the body of the container, upon movement of the closureslide to uncover the dispensing opening, and a plane member attached tothe hinged wall portion and adapted to underlie one of the adjacent wallpanels when the dispensing opening is covered by the closure slide andto move out from under that adjacent wall panel to maintain surfacecontinuity between the edge of that adjacent wall panel and the hingedwall portion when the dispensing opening is uncovered by the closureslide.

2. In a container formed from a unitary packaging blank and having apair of wide wall panels spaced opposite and parallel to one another, apair of narrow wall panels spaced opposite and parallel to one anotherand perpendicular to and joining the wide wall panels, with a dispensingopening in one end and a captive closure slide for the dispensingopening, the improvement comprising a hinged portion of one of the wallpanels attached to the closure slide and adapted to swing outward fromthe body of the container, upon movement of the closure slide to uncoverthe dispensing opening, and a plane member attached to the closure slideand adapted to underlie one of the adjacent wall panels when thedispensing opening is covered by the closure slide and to move out fromunder that adjacent wall panel to maintain surface continuity betweenthe edge of that adjacent wall panel and the hinged wall portion whenthe dispensing opening is uncovered by the closure slide.

3. In a container formed from a unitary packaging blank and having apair of wide wall panels spaced opposite and parallel to one another, apair of narrow wall panels spaced opposite and parallel to one anotherand perpendicular to and joining the wide wall panels, with a dispensingopening in one end and a captive closure slide for the dispensingopening, the improvement comprising a hinged portion of one of the wallpanels attached to the closure slide and adapted to swing outward fromthe body of the container, upon movement of the closure slide to uncoverthe dispensing opening, a first plane member attached to the hinged wallportion and adapted to underlie one of the adjacent wall panels when thedispensing opening is covered by the closure slide and to move out fromunder that adjacent wall panel to maintain surface continuity betweenthe edge of that adjacent wall panel and the hinged wall portion whenthe dispensing opening is uncovered by the closure slide, and a secondplane member attached to the closure slide and adapted to underlie oneof the adjacent wall panels when the dispensing opening is covered bythe closure slide and to move out from under that adjacent wall panel tomaintain surface continuity between the edge of that adjacent wall paneland the hinged wall portion when the dispensing opening is uncovered bythe closure slide.

4. In a substantially crushproof container useful for packagingcigaretts, formed from a unitary folding blank and having a dispensingopening in a plane surface thereof and a closure slide movable along thesurface to open or uncover the dispensing opening and to close or coverthe opening, the improvement comprising a composite structure for theclosure slide including two component strips connected to one another,one of the strips being adapted to cover the dispensing opening when theslide is in the closed position and the other strip having an exposedexpanse thereof connected at one end to another portion of the containerand adapted to be engaged manually to move the slide, and means integralwith the closure slide and cooperable with an adjacent portion of thecontainer along which the slide rides upon moving between the open andthe closed positions, the cooperating portion of the container beinglocated to intercept the means integral with the slide upon movement ofthe slide to the fully open position thereof, whereby the slide isinhibited from overshooting that position upon movement in the openingdirection.

5. Foldable packaging blank adapted to form a substantially crush-proofcontainer for packaging cigarettes, the container having a dispensingopening in a plane surface thereof and a closure slide movable along thesurface to open or uncover the dispensing opening and to close or coverthe opening, with a composite structure for the closure slide includingtwo component strips connected to one another, one of the strips beingadapted to cover the dispensing opening when the slide is in the closedposition and the other strip having an exposed expanse thereof connectedat one end to another portion of the container and adapted to be engagedmanually to move the slide, the blank comprising a generally rectangularbody portion including a pair of wide wall panels adapted to be spacedopposite and parallel to one another, a pair of narrow wall panelsadapted to be spaced opposite and parallel to one another andperpendicular to and joining the wide wall panels, and along an edge ofthe body portion a narrow lap panel adapted to be positioned parallel tothe wide wall panels and to lap part of one of the wide wall panels andto be secured thereto over part of the extent of the lap panel, a tabdetachably adjoined to an edge of one of the pair of narrow panels andadapted upon detachment therefrom to constitute the first of thecomponent strips of the closure slide, a tab fixedly adjoined to an edgeof the opposite narrow wall panel and adapted to constitute the secondstrip of the closure slide, the two tabs being adapted to be attached toone another at one end of each upon folding of the blank into containerform, and a flap extending from an edge of one of the wide wall panelsand adapted to overlie the attached end portions of the component stripsof the closure slide and to remain clear of the dispensing opening andof at least a portion of the other end of the component stripconstituted by the fixedly adjoined tab.

6. The article of claim 5 folded into container form, in which theportion of the narrow wall panel fixedly adjoining the second componentstrip of the closure slide is hinged to the rest of that narrow wallpanel on a transverse fold line spaced from the end of the strip andextending the width of the panel and is adapted thereby to be swung outof the plane of that wall panel upon movement of the closure slide; thejunction between that narrow wall panel and the wide wall panel spacedopposite the narrow lap panel is slit from the end adjacent theadjoining tab to one end of the transverse fold line, the portion of thelap panel intervening between the slit and the adjacent component stripof the closure slide being left unsecured to the lapping wide wallpanel; and the narrow lap panel is divided by a slit extending across itand terminating at the confluence of the transverse line and thejunction between the narrow wall panel and the lap panel, wherebymovement of the closure slide from the closed to the open position isaccompanied by a swinging outward of the hinged portion of the narrowwall panel and the intervening portion of the narrow lap panel from thebody of the container.

7. Foldable packaging blank adapted to form a crushproof container forpackaging cigarettes, the container having a dispensing opening in aplane surface thereof and a closure slide movable along the surface toopen or uncover the dispensing opening and to close or cover theopening, with a composite structure for the closure slide including twocomponent strips connected to one another, one of the strips beingadapted to cover the dispensing opening when the slide is in the closedposition and the other strip having an exposed expanse thereof connectedat one end to another portion of the container and adapted to be engagedmanually to move the slide, the blank comprising a generally rectangularbody portion including a pair of Wide wall panels adapted to be spacedopposite and parallel to one another, a first pair of narrow wall panelsflanking one of the wide wall panels and adapted to be spaced oppositeand parallel to one another and perpendicular to the wide wall panels, asecond pair of narrow wall panels flanking the other of the wide wallpanels and respectively adapted to be spaced opposite and parallel toone another and to lap and be secured to the respective narrow wallpanels of the first pair, a tab detachably adjoined to an edge of anarrow wall panel of the first pair and adapted upon detachmenttherefrom to constitute the first of the component strips of the closureslide, a tab fixedly adjoined to the edge of the narrow wall panel ofthe second pair spaced furthest from the junction of the detachable taband adapted to constitute the second component strip of the closureslide, the two tabs being adapted to be attached to one another at oneend of each upon folding of the blank into container form, and a flapextending from an edge of one of the wide wall panels and adapted tooverlie the attached end portions of the component strips of the closureslide and to remain clear of the dispensing opening and of at least aportion of the other end of the component strip constituted by thefixedly adjoined tab.

8. The article of claim 7 folded into container form, in

which the narrow wall panel fixedly adjoining the second component stripof the closure slide is located along the exterior of the container; aportion of that panel is hinged to the rest of that panel on atransverse fold line spaced from the end of the strip and extending thewidth of that panel; and the junction between that narrow wall panel andthe adjoining wide wall panel is slit from the end adjacent the tab tothe transverse fold line, whereby the hinged portion of the narrow wallpanel is adapted to swing outward from the body of the container uponmovement of the closure slide from the closed to the open position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS637,397 Lynch Nov. 21, 1899 1,007,390 Robinson Oct. 31, 1911 1,673,426Tinsley June 12, 1928 1,874,318 Levhofl Aug. 30, 1932 1,951,274 DenmanMar. 13, 1934 2,254,608 Heyer Sept. 2, 1941 2,330,926 Rous Oct. 5, 1943FOREIGN PATENTS 634,802 Germany Sept. 3, 1936

